The Soldier Shouted Save

Chapter 10

I was overwhelmed by the strange situation, and my legs gave way beneath me.

“A-Are you alright? Hey! Someone, get the chief—”

“No!”

Instinctively, I grabbed the man’s arm. But…

‘Why is he so strong?’

As he moved his arm, my body followed helplessly.

Was it because I had grown so weak?

His strength felt unnaturally overpowering.

And also…

‘Cold…’

Maybe it was because I had been sweating from the walk, making my body feel hotter by comparison, but the man’s arm was freezing to the touch.

And more than that…

“……”

The man looked down at me, saying nothing as I gripped his arm.

I could understand him being annoyed that I had grabbed him.

But the look in his eyes was far more intense than mere annoyance.

It was the gaze of a predator, as if he wanted to kill me.

―Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of a staff tapping the ground echoed.

“Stop.”

The voice belonged to an elderly man, likely in his 80s, with a white beard and hair.

His back was hunched, and he relied heavily on his staff as he slowly made his way over.

‘The village chief…’

My body tensed instinctively.

“Hmmm…”

The chief stepped up right in front of me, studying me closely.

“You there.”

As the chief began to speak, my hand reflexively moved toward my chest.

To the dagger Croa had given me.

I gripped the handle tightly.

“You don’t look well. Those wounds seem severe.”

“I’m fine.”

I spoke while still holding onto the dagger in my chest.

“It doesn’t seem fine at all. Those are serious injuries. Let me help—”

“I said I’m fine!”

The sharpness in my voice startled even me.

“I don’t understand why you’re being so stubborn.”

Stubborn?

It wasn’t mere stubbornness.

I had experienced this before.

I knew what it meant.

I had died.

—You have died from ???. [Confirm]

—Reloading from Auto-Save. [Confirm]

—Hint: Be cautious of potions. [Confirm]

I hadn’t even Confirmed the messages yet.

But there was a new one.

‘Auto-Save?’

I remembered seeing it the first time I took my own life in the village.

I didn’t fully understand what it meant.

But the last message was crystal clear.

‘Be cautious of potions…’

I hadn’t been paralyzed because I had missed the right moment to heal.

In my previous life, it was the potion the chief had given me that had caused my body to fail.

If it had only been my suspicion, it would have remained a doubt. But seeing the written hint confirmed it.

And that hint mentioned potions.

‘The chief…’

Everything revolved around this damn old man.

I looked closely at the chief’s eyes.

“It seems you won’t cooperate.”

At the chief’s signal, heavy footsteps approached.

The men from the village entrance walked over, grabbing me by both arms.

“…What do you think you’re doing?”

“Once the healing is done, you’ll be released safely, so don’t worry.”

With that, the chief turned and began walking ahead, the men who had grabbed me following behind him with my body in tow.

‘Ugh! Damn it…’

The pain surged where their hands touched my blistered skin.

‘Escaping isn’t an option, is it?’

I didn’t even have the strength to struggle.

So I let myself be dragged along.

‘…What should I do?’

I couldn’t even think straight.

I had no idea how to proceed.

And then.

―Clang.

The only weapon I had, the dagger, slipped from my chest and clattered to the ground.

“…Hm? What’s this?”

The chief bent down even further, picking up the dagger.

“A priest’s dagger… You’re not a priest, are you?”

The chief’s eyes narrowed as he stared at me, waiting for an answer.

“…It was a gift.”

The chief squinted, then looked away, focusing on the dagger in his hand.

“Well, if you were a priest, the divine power in the dagger wouldn’t be so depleted. I’ll return it to you.”

The chief approached, and the men holding my arms stepped back.

The chief extended the dagger’s handle toward me.

“……”

I silently took the dagger from him.

“I’m not sure why you’re so defensive, but you should rest for the night. You look exhausted.”

The chief pointed with his staff to a familiar house.

The same house where I had laid helpless and died in my previous life.

“…All right. I’ll stay for just one night.”

“I’ll fetch something that will help your body recover.”

“…Thank you.”

I watched the chief’s back as he walked away.

‘Should I stab him?’

I fingered the dagger that Croa had given me.

But even as the chief walked farther away, my feet remained rooted to the ground.

‘No… Not in this condition.’

The chief knew I had the dagger.

After all, he had picked it up and returned it to me.

“……”

I looked around.

The villagers had stopped in their tracks, all staring at me.

Now wasn’t the time.

I turned away from the chief’s retreating figure and opened the door to the house.

―Creak.

The smell of mold hit me instantly.

A small room, barely large enough to fit a single bed.

In my last life, I had been relieved just to have a bed.

But now, just looking at it made me nauseous.

“Ugh…”

I stood in the doorway, staring at the bed.

What had the chief been thinking as he watched me die, unable to do anything?

I slumped down by the door, leaning my back against it.

I felt something between my back and the door.

‘The backpack…’

I slowly pulled out its contents.

A map, a water bottle, dried food, and…

‘The potions!’

―Knock. Knock.

There was a vibration against the door where I was leaning.

“Hello, are you inside?”

“J-Just a moment.”

Hurriedly, I shoved the contents back into the backpack.

I shoved the backpack into the corner, out of sight.

―Creak.

“Hmm, were you doing something?”

The village chief’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the scene.

“No… I was just trying to stand up and lost my balance.”

He turned his gaze to me, sitting on the floor.

“Hmmm, I see? From the looks of your condition, it seems it’ll be hard to heal you today.”

“Heal me?”

I feigned ignorance.

“Despite my age, I used to be a mage. I even learned some healing magic… but in your current state, it would be too much. Here, take this.”

The chief extended something toward me.

I began to tremble.

But I kept my expression calm and took it.

“Is this a Red Potion?”

The chief raised an eyebrow.

“You seem to know a lot about Red Potions.”

“I… just overheard about them while in Tallin.”

“Hmm, is that so? Let me clear up any misunderstandings—this is a Red Potion I made myself. It doesn’t boost your vitality like regular ones, but it will take away your pain and make you feel more at ease.”

“…Thank you.”

I placed the Red Potion beside me and bowed my head in gratitude.

“Stay inside tonight. Don’t leave the house. Now, rest.”

With that, the chief left the room.

I pressed my ear to the door, waiting for the sound of his footsteps to fade.

“Hah… hah…”

Just exchanging a few words with him had left me drenched in sweat.

I picked up the Red Potion the chief had given me.

It seemed even darker red than the one I’d received in my previous life.

I dropped to my knees and crawled toward the corner where I had stashed my bag.

Taking out the contents again, I placed them on the floor.

The real Red Potion from the priest’s belongings.

I set it beside the bed.

Everything else went back into the bag, which I shoved under the bed to hide.

“……”

Sitting down on the bed, I winced as pain shot through my body when my skin touched the mattress.

Slowly, I began sorting through the information I had.

The priest who had healed the villagers had headed to Dane Village.

Along the way, they were ambushed by bandits, and their belongings were stolen.

After that, they disappeared without a trace.

‘The priest was definitely here.’

In my previous life, the chief had said that the priest had gathered some supplies and left again.

But did the priest really leave?

I had come to this village and died without understanding why.

There was no guarantee the priest had fared any better.

‘What if, like me…’

What if the priest had consumed one of the chief’s strange potions and was lying somewhere, unable to move?

I didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

‘I need to find out…’

I had to understand how I had died and who had killed me.

Even if it meant dying again.

This was the way to use the “Save” magic.

I opened the bottle of the chief’s dark-red potion.

Then, I poured it out in the corner of the room.

The thick red liquid mixed with the dust, soaking into the wooden floor.

I hid the empty bottle under the bed.

Then, I lay back down on the bed.

Now, all that was left to do was wait.

—

Around 10 PM.

―Knock. Knock.

A faint knock came at the door.

“Are you inside?”

In my previous life, the chief hadn’t visited at this hour.

―Knock. Knock.

“I’m here.”

The door creaked open, and the elderly man with white hair stepped in.

“Hm, how are you feeling?”

Even as he spoke, the chief’s eyes scanned the room, searching for something.

“…I’m fine.”

Despite my words, the chief’s expression tightened with suspicion.

“You didn’t drink the potion, did you?”

“…I hesitated. It seemed too expensive to waste. Is it really necessary to drink the Red Potion?”

I watched his face carefully.

The chief let out a low laugh.

“It’s handmade, so don’t worry about the cost. Besides, the effect fades after a day, so there’s no reason to hold back.”

His smile vanished, replaced by a cold, stern gaze.

His expression made it clear—he wouldn’t leave until I drank it.

I picked up the Red Potion beside the bed.

―Gulp. Gulp.

I downed it in one go, making sure he saw.

“Is that enough?”

“…Rest well.”

Satisfied, the chief finally turned and left the room.

I held my breath until his footsteps disappeared.

“Phew…”

I calmed my racing heart with deep breaths.

‘Did I fool him?’

I hadn’t drunk the chief’s potion. The liquid I had consumed was the real Red Potion from the priest’s bag.

It was the same as the ones I had used during my time as a soldier.

The pain had vanished, and I felt reinvigorated.

But now wasn’t the time to act.

I lay back down on the bed.

The real task lay ahead.

What I needed to uncover was what happened after I had become paralyzed in my previous life.

—

Even though I was lying down, sleep didn’t come.

There was the constant anxiety that the chief might return at any moment.

But the bigger issue was the Red Potion’s vitality effect. My heart was still pounding furiously, making it impossible to relax.

I glanced outside the window.

Pitch-black darkness.

It must’ve been around 2 or 3 AM.

Then, I heard it.

―Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sound I had been waiting for.

In my previous life, when I had been paralyzed, I couldn’t move at all, even when this loud knocking echoed through the room.

But this time was different.

―Knock. Knock. Knock.

The rough knocking continued.

I remembered it clearly.

It had gone on for a long time, even when I hadn’t responded.

I carefully sat up, gripping the dagger tightly in my hand as I cautiously opened the door.

“…What the…”

Standing in front of me was something completely unexpected.

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